Shadow Blade
by Gibs123
Summary: A Young Warrior is flung into the Avatar world when his village is destroyed and his country occupied. He joins the Aang on his quest to return balance to the four Kingdoms, and in return he has been promised assistance in doing the same for his home. Will he ever find peace? Will his people be free of the tyranny that has befell them?
1. Prologue

Shadow Blade.

Book one:

The Occupation.

Prologue:

The Floating Girl.

It was on the shore of the Sea of Oshio that the long journey started. It was a warm summer day in the seaside village of Oryama. Four kilometres down the beach sat a strapping young fellow. He was sixteen, the youngest graduate of the Shitsumo dojo, a trained samurai. He was walking along the beach, stopping to look at the sea and at the shadow that the mountains cast over the ocean as the sun settled behind it. He was looking at the ocean when he saw a light about halve way between him and the horizon. It was a ship, more precisely: one on fire. About a third of the way to the burning ship he saw something drifting in the water. He recognized the form; it was a person. He immediately jumped into the water. He swam to the form drifting in the water. He gently took hold of the girl and pulled her to shore. There he messaged her on her chest. After about a minute she coughed and started breathing again, she remained unconscious however. He sat down next to her, collapsing into the position from his exhaustion. "You gave me quite a scare there young lady." He said jovially.

His name was Kuhey Arusaki.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter one:

And so the journey begins...

The girl slowly opened her eyes. She found a couple of people leaning over her. She tried to stand up, but just as she lifted her shoulders off the bed where she was laying, they pushed her back down.

"Whoa there young lady!" Said the oldest of them. A very old fellow, he looked like a living fossil. "You should stay down, rest a little. You're still too weak to stand up." He gave her something to drink. "This as a broth that should restore you strength." His voice sounded like the wind had carried it around the world. He turned around and left the room with all except one of the figures following him. She tried to turn her head, and after a momentous struggle she could see the face of the one that had remained. He was a young fellow, probably sixteen. He was wearing a loose fitting two piece black suit. It was fastened with strips of the same fabric wound around his lower legs and arms. His head was covered with a cap of the material that was thrown over his head. It extended from the shirt. His face was covered by another piece of the suit; it covered everything up to the tip of his nose, which disappeared beneath the rim of the cloth. He saw that she was looking at him and removed the piece covering his face.

"What… what's your name?" she managed to murmur.

"Kuhey… Kuhey Arusaki." He said equally soft. His eyes shot to the ground just in front of her for a moment before returning to her face. "What's your name?" He asked.

"Nera." She said with some effort. He nodded slowly. "Where am I?" She asked.

"You're on the Shikaki Peninsula." He said standing up and walking to the door. The name didn't ring a bell. She tried to make a connection with it for a minute, and then looked at the door, but there was no one there anymore.

It was two weeks before she first left the room where she had awoken. She opened the door and held her hand in front of her eyes. They took a minute to adjust to the light. When she looked around her she was astounded. The sun was just coming up over the ocean and everything was the shade of wilting oak-tree leaves in autumn. There were children running, elders talking and all other kinds of social activities going on in the village. Just at that moment the same old man, she had learned that he was the village doctor, came up to her.

"Good to see you're finally up." He said with a broad smile on his face. She gave a halve smile in return.

"Excuse my directness. But… do you know where Kuhey might be… the one who had found me?" She asked politely.

"At this time of the day he's usually busy training out in the woods. You should find him in the clearing about ten minutes walk along the beach or on the beach or in the sea." He said scratching his grey-white beard.

"Thank you." She said with a bow and set off on a slow walk through the village towards the beach.

She found Kuhey in the clearing as the elder said. He was busy training his senses. Practicing his martial arts. She looked at him in amazement for a couple of minutes. She watched him do back flips and punches over and over again. He was wearing the same clothing that she had seen him wearing that first day. But this time he wasn't wearing the shirt. His entire upper body was naked and streaming with sweat. He finally noticed her and stopped. He walked up to her.

"Hi. I see you're feeling much better." He said passing her and heading for the ocean.

"Yes, much better. Thank you." She watched him wash his face and rinse the sweat from his chest and stomach.

"Good." He said when he had walked back up the beach to the edge of the forest where she still stood. "Let's walk." He said in his gentle voice as he gestured along the beach. She nodded.

They walked along the beach talking for about a kilometre; he then turned inland along a small stream. She followed him. He took her to the source of the stream, a small spring that brought ice cold water from the depths of the mountain. The water gushed out between a couple of rock. They both drank.

"We'd better go back to the village now." They walked along a small path that ran through the woods. When they were about two hundred metres from the village they smelled smoke. He stopped her.

"Stay here." She nodded and went down on her haunches. He ran a couple of steps and then jumped, vanishing into the leaves of the canopy. She heard the slight rustle of the leaves each time he jumped from tree to tree.

Kuhey moved silently, when he reached the edge of the clearing where the village was located, he stopped. He peered through the leaves and his mouth dropped open. The entire village was on fire, houses were collapsing and people shouting. He made his way to the dojo slowly, hiding behind the flames from the soldiers walking triumphantly through the village. He reached the building on the other side of the street from the dojo entrance. He placed himself, so that he could look in through the entrance. He found his master hanging from a pole. Blood dripping from his feet, the blood was gushing out of whip marks on his back. A great rage filled him. With a scream that came from the bowls of death itself, he burst out of the burning building. He unsheathed his sword and cut the two guards in halve in a single movement. The one just above his hips, and the other just below his shoulders. Their eyes portrayed absolute astonishment. Before the guards' bodies started to slide apart, Kuhey had sliced three more, one through the head, cutting off the upper third of his head from the rest of his body. The second one he stabbed through the face, and the third's legs he cut off. By the time the latter hit the ground, Kuhey was already pulling the nails from his master's arms and legs.

"Master! Master!" He brought him back to consciousness. His master looked at him through halve open eyes.

"Leave. Leave now." His master moaned to him.

"But I can't leave you unburied..." Kuhey said through the tears, but his master cut him short.

"They still have the rest of the village... They're taking..." He coughed, took a deep breath and continued with renewed urgency, feeling that this was his last breath. "They're taking them to the caves of Katari, at the base of Mt. Tsurosho." He looked at Kuhey. "You're my best student; you possess skills that even I would dream to have..." He coughed. His eyes were turning pale and glassy, but he fought back death's claws. "You are the only hope our people have. Never shy away from your feelings, and never shy away from you destiny." His head dropped and his eyes closed. He gave a momentous sigh as his last breath left him.

Kuhey lifted his head up to the heavens and let out cry after cry after unearthly cry. Upon hearing these, the men in the village were gripped by fear and ran away.

Shortly afterwards, Nera arrived. Having heard the screams, she had rushed into town, oblivious to the possible danger. She fell to her knees next to him and watched him cry for nearly an hour. Afterwards they buried him hurriedly and set off on their journey together.


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two:

Mt. Tsurosho.

They walked for days. Stopping only once every day – to eat and sleep. Once every couple of days they would reach a village, the people would greet them warmly, offering some food and hospitality. Each time Kuhey would thank them heartily, but turn them down pointing out that they were in a big hurry and could not stop. They would bow and usually offer the travellers some food for the road.

Currently they arrived at another village, this time however it was nearly dark, the sun was just starting to settle behind the mountains at each side of the valley. They walked into the village. The villagers greeted the two travellers in what Nera had come to presume was the customary hospitality. They were offered food and shelter. This time, instead of refusing them; Kuhey looked up at the darkening sky and then at the other end of the valley. He saw a dark cloud descending on the valley. He then returned his gaze to the town elder who had offered him their hospitality.

"Thank you very much. Though we are in a great hurry, I can see that there is a cold storm on its way. We would appreciate the shelter greatly. Thank you." The elder smiled and bowed. As he returned to his upright posture he gestured in the direction of one of the spectators. A man and woman stepped forward. From further down the road, a boy also came closer.

'He must their sun.' Kuhey thought to himself.

"You will stay with them for as long as you wish. You are free to leave whenever you wish." The elder said and slowly walked down the road in the direction from whence the travellers had come. Kuhey turned to Nera. He could see that she was tired form the long day's walk.

"We'll stay here for the night. There's a storm coming, I don't think it would be wise to continue." Kuhey said in a soft, caring voice. She didn't say anything.

They spent the night at the couple's house. In the morning it was snowing intensely. Kuhey still left the town and headed into the woods for his morning training session, however. Nera had grown accustomed to his early rises and did not even wake when he opened the door to see if she was still okay, nor did she wake when the shoji screen door slid close behind him again as he left.

When Kuhey reached a stream, he stopped. It was about a halve hour's walk from the village. It was still dark, but the dark was not something that impeded Kuhey, in fact, it was an asset. He trained hard and long. He suddenly stopped, the boy who was the couple's sun came out of the woods and he was carrying with him a fishing spear.

"You certainly aren't the average traveller!" He exclaimed with intrigue.

"No, I guess not." Kuhey said, sheathing his sword. He walked to the river bank and sat down, his feet hanging in the water.

"She's very beautiful." The boy said as he flung his spear into the water, snaring a fish.

"Whom?" Kuhey asked.

"The girl you brought with you of course."

Kuhey didn't say anything. 'Yes, she is. I guess I just never noticed.' He thought to himself. After a couple of minutes he started his training again. They now spoke through their occupations.

"So what's her story?" The boy asked, snaring yet another fish.

"I don't know. I found her drifting in the ocean a bit off shore. I guess a never asked."

"You're telling me that you found a beautiful damsel like that and you never asked where she's from?"

"Something happened okay, I have more important matters to worry about." Kuhey snapped at the boy furiously.

"Sorry. I was just amazed. I didn't know..." The boy trailed off.

Kuhey brought his fury under control. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. You couldn't have known."

They parted ways shortly after that. Kuhey dipped in the freezing river and went back to the town. And the boy continued his fishing.

They left the next morning. Heading for the other end of the valley. When they reached the hill that marked its end, they could see the mountain rising up from the snow.

"Just another two days." Exclaimed Kuhey.

And so it was.

By the end of the second day, they were at the foot of Mt. Tsurosho. There was only one small path that led up to the caves about two thirds up the mountain. By the morning of the third day, Kuhey stopped Nera. He went down on his haunches; he stroked the ground, and smelled a handful of it.

"They're close. Probably the next cave." He said. They continued quietly. As they were coming around a bend to the mouth of the cave, he froze and lent back against the wall. Nera understood the gestured and followed. Kuhey motioned for her to stay out. He unsheathed his katana slowly. Then swung around the bend quickly and quietly. Nera only heard a couple of muffled moans. Moments later, Kuhey reappeared. With him were the villagers. But he was in no way glad. Instead, his face bore a deep and depressing frown.

When Nera inquired as to why he was not happy to have freed the villagers, he motioned for her to have a look. When she saw the men lying on the ground, she gasped in surprise and horror. They were soldiers from the kingdom of Nibusashi, they wore the military uniforms. She however quickly concealed her horror and walked back to the group.

"What would warriors from Nibusashi be doing so far from the kingdom?" She asked in astonishment.

"One of the villagers told me that he overheard them saying that the king has decided to 'unify' all of Japan. They said that he was doing it partly out of spite because he believes that one of the nations have kidnapped his daughter." Kuhey answered.

She looked at him, and was overcome with dread and guilt.

"What do you plan to do?" She asked.

"I will not let my people be ruled by someone not from our land. I will avenge the killing of my master and make it so that it shall be many years before Nibusashi ever tries to 'Unite' Japan!"

Nera nodded slowly.

"We'd best get them home." She said. "Winter's closing in quickly."

Kuhey nodded and they started on their journey back to the village.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter three:

The Road Home.

Kuhey and Nera spent the winter helping rebuild the village. The dojo however wasn't rebuilt. With no master to train pupils, it would be just an empty reminder of how things had been, a state to witch things were unlikely to return to. Instead, they built a shrine to the old master of the dojo, the walls of the dojo were rebuilt, and the dojo itself as well, but the interior walls were removed, and filled with poems and dedications to the master. The courtyard became a qi garden. Every plant and every stone and every pathway placed and orientated to focus the qi flow towards the centre of the garden where, over the grave of the old master, a statue of him was erected.

Kuhey and Nera left on the opening of the first cherry blossom. And behind them, as they walked, spring followed. Orehime was captured by the beauty of the land, and by the absolute dedication with which the people cared for it. Every patch of farm and every garden existed in complete harmony with the nature in and around it. The vegetable gardens weren't weeded, and yet the vegetables grew well and were large. The roads in the villages were loosely paved. The rocks weren't set into the ground, but stood on it loosely, and the openings between them were filled with grass and blossoming plants.

She was anxious to explore the country. Beyond every bend and over every hill, lay a surprise. Every village was unique, and yet they all shared one thing, their absolute dedication to their work and to protecting and nurturing the nature in which they lived.

Though she couldn't stop admiring the people of this land, she felt great sorrow well up inside her. The people of her land raped and pillaged it; they did not care what happened to the nature around their farms or for the woods around the cities of the towns. They only cared what happened the nature as long as it benefited them. She managed to hide her feelings of sorrow from Kuhey only by sheer force of will.

Finally they reached the mountain range that marked the border between Nibusashi and the rest of Japan. At the very top of the range, stood a great wall. Twice as high as any ever built before, and twice as thick. It was said that no force in the world could pass the wall without the permission of the king.

When they reached the base of the wall during the night. Kuhey explained his plan.

"You stay here. I'll scale the wall, take out the guards, and open the gate for you."

She nodded. She desperately wanted to tell him. Tell him the secret that had been haunting her since she saw the men in the caves. But she could not bring herself to speak. She watched him as he scaled the wall. She was astonished at how easily he did it. It looked as though he was running up a moderate incline, not as if he was climbing up a vertical wall. A couple of seconds after he disappeared over the top of the wall, the gate opened. She walked through, and it closed again behind her. She found Kuhey waiting for her just on the other side of the second gate.

"What did you do to the guards, I didn't even hear anything." She asked, fearing the answer that came.

"I killed them and laid them down in the towers. It should be about two or three hours before they are found at the change of guards... We'd best hurry."

They set off and sure enough, they could see the commotion behind them just before dawn, hundreds of lights went up all along the visible wall. But there was no reason that the lights weren't lit up all the way to the shores of the seas on either side of the country. Shortly after dawn, Kuhey led her off the trail and they continued to the capitol, and the royal palace, in the woods. Once in the city, they disguised themselves as palace servants – they wouldn't have been able to sneak in, in the same manner as the passed through the walls; there were just too many guards. They made their way to the throne room. There they found the Emperor seated on his throne. Kuhey removed his disguise and lunged at the Emperor. The four guards, two on either side of the Emperor's throne, jumped forwards to protect their Emperor. The first thrust forward with his spear. Kuhey didn't even unsheathe his sword. He stepped sideways, grabbed the spear by the shaft just behind the point. He brought his right elbow down on the spear and broke the shaft. He did a full twist and thrust the spear into the eye of the guard. The second dropped his spear and unsheathed his sword. He swung the sword at Kuhey from left to right. Kuhey dropped into a halve split and threw his head back. The blade passed a mere four millimetres from his face. He came erect and regained his balance before the guard was able to bring his sword to bear again. The sword came back at him from his right. Kuhey jumped and did a forward flip over the guard. In doing so he grabbed the guards head and broke his neck before he landed on his feet. Using his momentum he threw the dead guards body in the third's spear. The guard let go of his spear. But before he could unsheathe his sword, Kuhey lunged forward and hit him on his throat so hard that he crushed his airway. The guard collapsed to the ground holding his throat and gasping for air. The fourth guard stood in astonishment and looked at his three dead companions. He was completely paralysed by what lay in front of him. He dropped to his knees, his mouth open. Kuhey walked up to him brought his left hand down on the rear of the guard's neck, knocking him out.

"Good afternoon Emperor." Kuhey said tauntingly, returning his gaze to the Emperor. Kuhey wore a smile on his face and spoke in a business-like manner.

"I think I can safely say that you know of the order that you gave to begin 'Uniting' all of Japan... You no doubt also know of the men you sent out to the far side of Japan to burn a specific village and dojo to the ground. The dojo that you knew was the only one that could train soldiers capable of defeating you!" Kuhey's voice started to bubble with fury as he spoke the last sentence. "Well?!"

The Emperor nodded "I know of which village you speak."

"Well I have come to avenge the death of my master!" Kuhey said unsheathing his sword. He lifted it above his head, but just as he was about to behead the Emperor, someone hit him on the back of his neck, the same place he had hit the fourth guard. He fell to the floor, but because of his training he didn't pass out immediately. He was on his knees now. He saw Nera remove her disguise.

"My daughter!" Exclaimed the Emperor with uncontrollable joy. They hugged.

"Why?" Kuhey asked, fighting back the darkness of unconsciousness creeping in on him.

"As much as I owe you for saving me, I just couldn't let you kill my father." Kuhey looked at her, he couldn't be angry; because he could sense the pain she was feeling betraying him. He finally gave in to the unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter four:

Unexpected Saviour.

When he woke, he was in a cell, deep in the palace dungeon. He stood up and went to the window. He realised that he was chained to the wall be a three metre chain. He looked at it, trying to find a way to undo it. At that moment he heard six sets of footsteps coming closer. On the other side of the bars the emperor and Nera came into view, along with two soldiers and a dungeon guard. The Emperor smiled a satanic smile.

"Not so tough when you're chained, are you?"

"I'll be free before you know it and then you'll singing to a different tune." Kuhey said.

"We'll see... We'll see." The Emperor said. He turned to the guard.

"Have him ready for the execution in the morning." The guard nodded. He turned back to Kuhey.

"Looks like you trusted the wrong girl. I think I'll burn your village again, just for fun." He laughed and they started walking back to the surface.

One his knees, Kuhey gave out an inhuman cry to the heavens, and then another. Upon hearing this Nera hesitated for a moment, she looked back at the bars of the cell that were still just visible. But then continued walking.

On the ground a single tear fell into the dust.

Kuhey was trying to catch some sleep when the cell door creaked open. He lifted his head and there, in the opening of the door, he found Nera. She wore a cloak that covered her completely, only her mouth and the point of her nose was visible. She motioned into the shadows and two figures appeared. They undid Kuhey's chains and helped him to his feet. They lead him up the stairs and to the harbour. All the way no one made a sound. At the harbour she showed him to a small boat. The two guards climbed on board. Orehime stayed on the shore though. She gave him his katana.

"Why?" He asked.

"My loyalties lie with my father, but I couldn't let him execute you. I owe you my life." She said anxiously.

"Well my loyalty lies with no one man Nera. It lies with the people of Japan and with the soil itself..." But when he saw that he had hurt her, he added. "Thank you."

She leaned forward and kissed him. He looked at her for a moment.

"My personal guard has orders to take you to the far off nations of the benders. You'll be safe there."

"One day I will return Nera. I will return and I will free my people, and I will avenge the death of my master!" He turned and climbed on the boat. The members of her personal guard raised the sails and they started off for their destination. Kuhey looked back expecting to find nothing, but Nera was still standing in the darkness.

"She must really love you to turn against her father like that." Said one of the soldiers.

"By having you take my away from here? ... She isn't turning against her father. She knows how strong I am. She knew that I would escape from the cell and that I would kill her father. She is protecting him."


End file.
